Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-04
Russian Iron.

A Pittsburg, Pa, correspondent of
| the st. Louis Globe-De1nocr0t writes:
A romantic story was developed to-day
by the initial steps of building Rus
sian-iron mill at Freeport, small town
thirty miles north of this city. The
towns people donated the site and
| $4,000 to firm to build there. One of
| the firm related to the correspondent
the following story:
This will be the first Russian-iron
mill ever built outside of Siberia. An
imitation of Russia iron has been made
IN this country for some time, but it is
| not lmpervious to rust. Impervious-
ness to rust is the crucial test of Russia
iron.
There is a little history connected
with the introduction of this industry
into America. Few persons imagine
what a risk was run in learning the
| secret of the treatment by which Rus
STA iron is made. There are but three
people outside of Russia to-day that
know this secret. They are: Mr.. Will
liam Il. Rogers, his father, and his
nephew. Mr.. Rogers came into the
possession of the secret in this way:
'About eighteen years ago he was
sent out as Pennsylvania State geolo-
glst to Russia. He had credentials adj
dressed to Ex-Governor Curtin, the
minister at st. Petersburg at that
time, and was received with great
pOmp and ceremony by Princess Dem
idoff, in whose Siberian mines he was
ostensibly to carry on his geological
Investigations. The princess attended
in Ia
hundred miles, into the Urai noun
tains, and treated the American geolo-
gist with all the imperial courtesy ac-
corded to the most distinguished for
eigner. The Russian mobiles, too, took
a great fancy to Mr.. Rogers, and in
sisted that he should purchase a few
million acres of land-in Siberia a
million acres is but trifle-and estab-
fish an American colony. Mr.. Rogers
said he hadn't the money.
'Oh, it won't take much, they said;
"a few million dollars would answer
the purpose
1.-The offer, however, was declined
as politely as possible, without letting
the nobleman know that it was alto
gether possible for Pennsylvania
State geologist to be as poor as the
proverbial Jobs turkey.
LAS long as Mr.. Rogers confined his
explorations to the mines he attracted
little or no suspicion, but as soon as he
set foot inside the iron-mills of Prin-
cess Demidof he was subjected to the
most vigilant espionage. 1t must be
remembered that all the men in these
mills who know the secret of making
Russian iron are never allowed to quit
the mines. 1t is difficult for Americans
to understand how this is, but to any
one who has seen the inside workings
of such despotic government as Rus
STA s, the matter is perfectly plain. All
who pass to and from Siberia are vised
and vised again at thousand differ
ent points and the slightest suspicion
is enough to warrant q travellers de-
tention.
Zone day Mr.. Rogers was making
an inspection of the iron mills, when
he overheard one of the foremen say:
g That's queer kind of a geologist.
I have my suspicious about HIM
Mr.. Rogers was not long in making
his arrangements for bidding the de-
lectable land of Siberia a final fare
well. With the special study he had
made of iron-making before going to
Russia, he was not long in discovering
the much-coveted secret, and came
home delighted with his experience as
a state geologist."